Another SEED mission
by Joni
Summary: Squall, Quistis, Rinoa and Zell must cooperate with Seifer, Raijin and Fujin, who are now in SEED. Galbadia Garden has asked for their support to track down bandits, who have been terrorizing their region.
1. Train ride

Rinoa was standing in the harbor of Balamb, almost motionless, looking at the sunset which reflected from the surface of the water. It had been two days since Squall had been sent to Deling City. She hadn't been told anything about his mission, but she knew that it was something important. She wished to see him again soon and she couldn't stop worrying. 

"Rinoa!"

She turned around to see who was yelling her name and saw Zell and Angelo. She wondered why Angelo was with him. Had he been in her house?

"I visited your house," Zell said. "You weren't there, so Angelo led me here."

"Ah. I see."

"Listen, Rinoa, I shouldn't tell you this, but I think that Squall's in trouble."

"Wha... how...?"

Rinoa had had a bad feeling about Squall's mission since the beginning.

"I'm not sure what has happened," Zell explained, "but I've got orders to go to Deling City immediately."

"I'm coming with you!" Rinoa said with a serious tone in her voice.

"That's what I thought. Pack your things; the train is leaving soon."

* * *

A lot of thoughts came into Rinoa's mind when she sat in the SEED cabinet with Zell and Angelo. She was worried about what might've happened to Squall and that she wasn't allowed to participate in the mission in any way. The train would reach Deling City in the morning, so she decided to go to sleep, when the door was cnocked. 

"Come on in!" Zell said loudly.

The door was opened and Seifer, Raijin and Fujin came inside. Rinoa and Zell were surprised to see them there.

"Hmm... so you broke the rules and brought her with you," Seifer said.

"PUNISHMENT."

"No, Fujin. I won't tell anyone."

Now they were even more surprised.

"What're you planning?" Zell asked.

"You didn't kill me, when we battled and I was manipulated by Ultimecia. Let's just say that this is my way to thank you."

"Ok, cool. But why are you here?"

"Did I forget to tell you? I've been a member of SEED since yesterday. Just like Fujin and Raijin."

"Gongratulations," Rinoa said.

"Thank you. Now let's get some sleep. It's gonna be a long ride..."

Seifer's posse didn't know anything about the upcoming mission, either. They all went to sleep without knowing what tomorrow would bring. And the train kept on going...


	2. Deling City

The train arrived in Deling City in the morning. The city was as busy as usual; people were going to work and kids were going to school. There were crowds of people waiting at the bus stops. Cafes and shops were being opened and their owners were smiling, because they knew it would be a profitable day. Rinoa hadn't been in the city for a while and she didn't remember how beautiful it was. 

"I'm going to buy a hot dog," Zell said.

"Buy one for me, too!" Rinoa yelled after him.

After a well slept night, Rinoa noticed that she wasn't so worried anymore. She had relied on her intuition, just like Zell, when she had thought that something bad had happened.

"Hey, Rinoa, tell Zell that we'll meet in front of Hotel Galbadia later."

"Ok, Seifer."

Rinoa was left standing in the train station with Angelo. Soon she heard a familiar voice:

"Let me guess: it's not a coincidence that you're here."

It was Quistis. She stood there wearing her usual outfit; an orange, sleevless shirt, a long skirt and black leather boots. Just like a teacher.

"It seems to be difficult for Zell to understand what a secret mission means," she continued and stroke Angelo.

"Sorry, Quistis. He told me that Squall might be in trouble, so I decided to come with him. Maybe I shouldn't have..."

"Don't worry about it. Squall is fine. I know I can trust you so I'll let you come with us."

"Really! Thanks!"

Zell came back eating a hot dog with his right hand and holding another one in his left hand.

"Quistis!" he said. "What is going on?"

"Follow me, I'll explain on the way."

* * *

It was a warm summer day. The air was fresh and a cool breeze blew on the street. An endless flow of cars streamed past them when they walked along the sidewalk. Quistis started explaining what their mission actually was.

"Bandits have been terrorizing this region lately. Galbadia Garden asked for support from Balamb a few days ago."

"There are bandits around here nowadays?" Rinoa asked.

"Yes. And they are very sly. They are from Timber and their members are recruited from groups like Forest Owls. That's why they're so skillful."

"And every time you get a clue of them, they disappear. Right?"

"That's right, Rinoa. Hey, you used to lead Forest Owls. Maybe you can help us?"

"I can try. But I can tell you with experience: catching them won't be easy. They know that the Gardens are after them, so they are probably very cautious."

"Actually, they don't know about Balamb Garden being involved in this. That's why this mission is top secret."

"I see. Then you've definately a better chance to catch them. And I could ask around; I have a lot of contacts here."

"Man. You should've been here since the beginning."

"Hey, Quistis," Zell said. "Where is Squall?"

"He's waiting at our local base."

"Ok. By the way, you didn't tell me that Seifer, Raijin and Fujin are in SEED."

"I didn't consider that important. Where did they go?"

"They are waiting in front of Hotel Galbadia."

"Uh-oh. Squall went there, too. I hope they've learned to stand each others..."


	3. Meeting Squall

"Where are they?" 

Seifer, Raijin and Fujin had been waiting for fifteen minutes in front of Hotel Galbadia. Patience wasn't one of Seifer's or Raijin's best features and Fujin started to get frustrated.

"SIT DOWN," she said. Seifer and Raijin obeyed. Then they saw Squall.

"What are you guys doing here?" Squall asked.

"We are here to assist you. We are now SEEDs, too."

"Gongratulations."

Squall sat down on the bench next to Seifer.

"Squall, I know we've had our fights, but now when we're both in SEED, we should try to get along."

"You are right about that."

Quistis, Zell and Rinoa arrived.

"This is something I thought I'd never see," Quistis said. "Squall and Seifer sitting next to each others, without quarreling!"

Squall rose up and kissed Rinoa.

"Why are you here?"

"Zell thought that you'd be trouble or something, so he asked me to come."

"Haha, I should've guessed," Squall said with smile.

"Hey, I was worried, ok!" Zell said.

"Everyone!" Quistis said. "Rinoa's father has arranged a base for us. Let's go there."

* * *

Rinoa decided to go meet her father while the rest of the group took a car to their base, which was a big old mansion outside the city. Rinoa's father used to spend his freetime in there and it was also a place for meetings with important political guests. 

"I think that the bandits have their base in Timber," Squall said when they went into the mansion. Instead of a huge front hall that these kind of mansions used to have,  
there was a cozy little living room with a fireplace and wooden stairs leading upstairs. The impression that the mansion gave at the first glance was very romantic.

"Why do you think so?" Quistis asked.

"We know that the members of that bandit group, or groups, used to work in resistance movements like Forest Owls. Those movements worked in Timber, so wouldn't it be natural if their base is there?"

"Yeah. You are right. Do you think we're just wasting our time here in Deling City?"

"No. They have terrorised the whole region, so we might find some clues from here as well. But I thought about making a visit to Timber tomorrow."

"That's a good idea. Who are you going with?"

"Rinoa isn't a SEED so I really can't take her. You are needed here and Seifer would just probably make me nuts. I think I'm going with Zell and Raijin."

"Alright. I wonder what Headmaster Cid had in mind when he put us together with them," Quistis said and looked at Seifer.


	4. A storm in Timber

Rinoa went as far as she could by a bus and then she walked to the mansion. It was a beautiful summer day again and she enjoyed the gentle wind blowing against her face. The city was barely visible anymore behind her. Soon she saw a big iron fence which had been left unlocked. She walked through the gate and saw the mansion. 

Its colors consisted of red and white and there was a big statue in the yard. Surrounded by trees, it felt like it was completely separated from the rest of the world.

"Rinoa!" Quistis shouted and walked across the yard.

"Hi. I decided to spend the night at my dad's. I hope you weren't worried."

"Not at all. Oh, Squall isn't here. He left to Timber early this morning with Raijin and Zell."

"To Timber? What for?"

"We suspect that the bandits have their base in there, so they went to inquire."

"He should've taken me along!"

Rinoa seemed like she was mad.

"Four people would've been too much. Besides, you can help us more here. We need you to give us possible locations where the bandits could be."

"Alright, maybe you're right," Rinoa said and decided not to ruin her good mood.

* * *

While the sun was shining in Deling City, there was a storm in Timber. It was quite dark and sometimes a lightning, which the sound of thunder followed, lighted up the city. Squall's clothes were dribbling wet and random puddles of water in the sidewalk soaked his shoes. His companions had the same problem, but they also had an annoying habit to complain.

"This sucks!" Zell expressed his opinion.

"Yeah," Raijin said. "This truly sucks. The rain sucks, my wet clothes sucks, this whole city sucks!"

"And it sucks that we don't have any clue what to do. And what sucks even more is that we haven't got any kind of shelter from this rain!"

"Okay, you two!" Squall said, sounding angry. "The only thing that sucks is your complaining. We'll take a room at the hotel and wait till this rain stops."

"Finally, a good idea."

The trio walked to the hotel and paid 400 gil for a room for three.

"You guys can wait here," Squall said. "I'm going to take a look around."

"You are crazy if you're going back to that storm," Raijin said, but Squall ignored him.

He went back outside and decided to go to the pub hoping that he might hear something interesting. On the way he looked down at the railway station and noticed that something unusual was going on. A man was running at the platform, shouting for help. Squall knew that he might need to prepare for a battle, but he still decided to keep his Gunblade hidden.

"What is going on?" he asked from the hysteric guy when he ran down there.

"T-the bandits are here. They are robbing that train over there!"

Now Squall pulled out the Gunblade and rushed to the train. The people were trying to escape in panic while the bandits were robbing them of everything valuable.

"How did the Galbadians find out where we would strike!" one of them asked.

"I don't think there are more of them," another one replied. "Must be a coincidence that he's here. Let's get him!"

Squall saw that an Ice spell was coming, so he jumped off to the platform before it hit him. Now he had more room to act, but he saw that there were at least ten of them. They all followed him outside. He was relieved that the bandits thought he was Galbadian.

Squall managed to slash one of them, but he had to turn around immediately to block another one's daggers. Then he had to take a sidestep to dodge a kick coming from his side. He casted a fire spell on one enemy, but soon he found himself surrounded. He tried desperately to break out of the circle that they had formed around him and cursed that Zell and Raijin had stayed in the hotel. Would this be the end?

If something like fate exists, it seemed to be on Squall's side, because one of the enemies fell down, followed by the sound of a rifle. Then another enemy fell down followed by another one, before they all considered it better to escape. Instead of following them, Squall wanted to know who his saviour was.

"That was a close call."

It was Irvine! He walked down to the platform, wearing his long leather coat and cowboy hat.

"Thanks. You saved me," Squall said.

After Ultimecia had been defeated, Irvine had requested for a transfer to Balamb Garden. He was sure that his hope would be fulfilled, but no official decision had been made. He was keen to meet Selphie again, because they had had to separate. He was truly missing her.

"No problem. Is Selphie here?"

"No. First it was only me and Quistis, but then Headmaster Cid sent Seifer, Raijin, Fujin and Zell here. And Zell bought Rinoa with him."

"Seif..."

"Yes. They are in SEED now."

"What a surprise. I suggest we go somewhere to talk now. There's a lot of stuff I want to ask."

"Okay."

Squall decided to stay in Timber for another day. He still hadn't found the bandits' base, but now he was more certain that it would be in Timber.


	5. Irvine's good news

Irvine left Timber after the storm had ended and headed towards Galbadia Garden by a car which he had taken from there. It was pretty late and he had to hurry, but he was there in time. After he had returned the car, he walked to the Garden and noticed that their headmaster was standing in the lobby. 

"Irvine!" the headmaster said. "What are you doing here?"

"I met some SEEDs from Balamb Garden and I was told that I weren't needed anymore. There are already enough Galbadians."

"I suppose that you've got some kind of letter from their leader?"

"Sure," Irvine said and handed over a paper which Squall had written. The headmaster examined it for a moment and said:

"Fine. Your mission is complete, then. You can start packing your things."

"What?"

"Your request to be transferred to Balamb Garden was approved. From now on, you are working for them."

Irvine was wordless for a second, but then he yelled:

"YESHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

While Irvine was happier than ever, Squall was frustrated. He had interrogated the passengers of the robbed train and talked with everybody he knew in Timber. There had been no success, but Squall didn't want to give up. 

"We'll set a trap for them," he said.

"What kind of trap?" Zell asked.

"Well, first we'll need a train. Shouldn't be too hard to get one, we're SEEDs after all. Then we 'leak out' information that we're transporting something very expensive in that train and that it'll make a stop here in Timber. They will try to rob us but we capture them."

"Just the three of us?"

"No. We will tell Quistis and the others to come down here. Seven of us should be more than enough."

"Rinoa's coming, too?" Raijin asked.

"Why not? She's a skilled fighter. Besides, I think she would be angry if we didn't let her come."

* * *

The next day, Irvine arrived to Balamb with a ship. He looked down to the harbor from the deck and realized that he had forgotten what a beautiful city it was. Men were fishing and the place was swarming with people. He noticed a girl in a yellow dress waving at him. 

"Selphie!" he shouted and rushed down. Then he hugged her. And kissed her. They had really missed each others, because they had had only a short time to be together. They had fallen in love after Ultimecia was defeated.

"How did you know to come here?" he asked.

"Tee-hee. Headmaster Cid told me."

"Hey, let's go to the Garden. I don't know the place too well..."

"Then I'll be your guide!"

Irvine hoped that he wouldn't have to participate in a new mission for a while. Everything was now just as he wished.


	6. Betrayal

Zell read a newspaper while sitting on a train. They had lied that they were transporting a great treasure from Dollet to Deling City and they would stop in Timber to exchange the guards for "security reasons". The newspapers had spread the word quickly and the bandits had surely heard about it. 

"Let me repeat the plan," Squall said. "Quistis and others will get on this train in Dollet. Then we'll go back to Timber and wait there for the bandits. When they come inside, the driver of the train will lock up all the doors so they can't escape. Then we just wait till the train reaches Deling City, where a group of Galbadians is waiting.  
They'll help us capture them."

"What if they don't attack?" Zell asked.

"They should. The bait is too irresistable."

The train stopped and rest of the group got on the train.

"Let's teach them some discipline!" Seifer said.

"Remember," Squall warned. "We need to capture them. Not kill."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Squall, what were you thinking?" Quistis said, sounding angry. "I'm the team leader. You should have asked my permission for this!"

"I said that I was going to trace them. At least now we've got a chance to catch them for interrogation. We could find their base!"

"As far as I am the team leader, you have to tell me about your plans first. Oh, and don't think I didn't hear that you sent Irvine back to Galbadia Garden!"

"So...? He wasn't needed there."

"You can't decide that."

Rinoa decided to interfere in their quarrel:

"Calm down. Squall, you must remember that Quistis is the leader. And Quistis, you don't need to give him hard time. After all, he didn't do anything wrong!"

"Let's just concentrate on this mission," Quistis said and rose up to leave the cabin.

"Wow, she was mad..." Raijin said after she was gone.

* * *

Quistis was standing on the hallway, looking through the window, when Zell came out of the cabin. 

"What was that about...?" he asked and leaned on the wall.

"I just don't like that someone steps on my toes," Quistis said.

"Squall takes this mission too seriously. He invented this plan to capture them after he had a battle with the bandits."

"He has fought them! Another thing he didn't tell me."

"Relax. I am sure he was going to."

"Hmm. Perhaps I'm taking this mission too seriously as well. After all, he didn't do anything wrong..."

"That's right. But now we must prepare. We'll arrive to Timber soon..."

"Do you think that they'll walk straight into the trap?"

"Why not? Do you remember when we had mission to assassinate Edea? We got her locked up between the gates."

"Irvine didn't manage to kill her, though. Luckily. But at least now we don't have to assassinate anyone..."

* * *

The railway station of Timber was in chaos. Some curious people had arrived to see the train carrying a mysterious treasure, but the bandits had come to drive them away. People were running away from there in panic, being chased by the muggers. The train arrived. 

"Looks good," Squall said while looking through the window. "There aren't too many of them. We can easily catch them."

"I'm going to see if the driver can handle it," Fujin said, looking nervous. Her hands were slightly shaking.

"Are you alright?" Raijin asked.

"...yes."

She hurried to the control room right before the doors were opened. A bunch of bandits rushed inside.

"A trap!" one of them shouted. Zell and Squall attacked him while more bandits came inside to defend their buddies. Squall killed anyone who came too close and Zell managed to keep them off with his punches and kicks. Raijin and Seifer were at the door keeping the rest of them outside and Rinoa and Quistis aided them with magic. There were definately too much people in the train car.

"Why aren't the doors closing!" Rinoa asked loudly while casting an Ice spell.

"I don't know," she said and casted a Cure on Squall. "Seifer and Raijin, go take a look!"

They got immediately more room to fight when Seifer and Raijin left. That's why the enemies were quickly defeated and at least a few of them seemed to be still alive.  
But there was a surprise waiting...

* * *

"What the heck!" 

Seifer's reaction was understandable. The controls of the train were destroyed, probably with a Fire spell. The driver was dead and his blood was splattered almost everywhere. In fact, he was almost cut in half. And next to him stood Fujin, with her Pinwheel stained in blood.

"Fujin, what the hell have you done!" Raijin shouted.

"I'm sorry..." Fujin said, looking like she was about to burst into cry. "I had to do it."

Before Raijin or Seifer could say anything, she escaped from the train. Seifer and Raijin tried to run after her but she disappeared quickly. They were both shocked.  
What the hell was going on?


	7. Interrogation

The few prisoners they had caught had been taken to the mansion in Deling City to be interrogated. One of them had been locked up in the basement but he seemed to be a silent sort of person. 

"One more time." Squall was frustrated. "Where is your base?"

The prisoner was quiet.

"Silent treatment, huh?" said Seifer, who had appeared to the door.

"It's no good. I think I'll go to sleep."

"Hey, what do you say if I interrogated him?"

"I don't..."

"Please! I'm still new in SEED. I need to learn stuff like this."

"Well, alright. Good night."

"Good night."

Squall closed the door and went back upstairs. Seifer turned around to face the bandit who was handcuffed onto a steel chair.

"Hello. I'm Seifer. Now I'm going to ask you few questions and I wish that you answer them." Seifer smiled too friendly. The bandit decided to stay quiet.

"Where is your base?" he asked but didn't get an answer. "Ok, I'll ask that later. My friend killed the train's driver and escaped. Why?"

No answer.

"Have you got a leader? If you do, what is his name?"

Just like Seifer had expected, the bandit didn't want to speak.

"Okay. We'll play a little game. I'll ask you questions, you answer them. Simple?" Seifer looked him straight to the eyes. "Here are the rules. If your answer is wrong,  
I can punch you on the first round. On the second round I can beat you as much as I want. And on the final round," Seifer pulled out his Gunblade, "if all the answers are wrong, I will execute you. And remember, if you don't say anything, that means the answer is wrong."

The bandit remained silent, but you could sense that he was nervous.

* * *

Zell was lying on a sofa in the mansion's living room in front of the fireplace. He was reading the newest Combat King which was quite interesting. There were a lot of new moves he didn't know. 

"I'm bored," said Quistis, who came to the room.

"The other's aren't much fun," Zell said. "Raijin and Seifer are pretty down because of Fujin."

"I wonder, why did she do it?"

"I don't know. But I think that when we locate the bandits' base, we'll get an answer to that."

"Me too."

Zell finished reading the magazine and he layed it on the table.

"Let's have a game of Triple Triad."

They both had very good cards and they played with Balamb rules. Zell was just about to win but Quistis managed to turn the situation around with her Ifrit card.  
Fortunately, Zell still had his own card, where his face was printed. A draw.

"I love this game," Zell said.

"Hey, what is that noice?" Quistis asked.

The strange noice was like someone would've shouted. It came from the basement.

"That prisoner is there..." Zell said.

"...with Seifer!" Quistis continued.

* * *

Seifer's Gunblade was lying on the floor, next to a bloody iron pipe. The bandit's nose was bleeding and there was a big, open wound on his forehead. Seifer kept on beating him and repeating the same question. 

"Where the hell is your base?"

"Seifer Almasy! Stop it immediately!" Quistis shouted angrily.

"He has already told stuff! And he will talk more!" Seifer said without stopping the beating. He kicked the man to chest which caused him to fall down. He was helpless against the furious SEED.

"Please, stop!" the bandit begged. "We have our base in Dollet. I can give you the direct location... just stop beating me..."

* * *

The beaten man gave the address. Quistis had to use Cure on him many times before he stopped bleeding. She had never seen anything like what Seifer had done just now and she let Seifer hear about that. 

"You damn idiot! The SEEDs are meant to bring peace everywhere, not to torture helpless people! What were you thinking!"

"Quistis, I..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear explanations. You always wanted to be a SEED and now you are one. And what do you do first? Violate the rules!"

Seifer banged his fist hard on the wall. It hurted but he didn't complain.

"Fujin and I... we have been friends for ages. And she does something like this... You must understand that I'm angry."

"That's no excuse for this," Quistis said. "I will tell Headmaster Cid about you when this mission is over."

"I am a fucking moron," Seifer said. Now he understood how stupid he had been. He couldn't have hated himself more.


	8. Fujin's story

The city of Dollet brought back memories. To Seifer, they weren't very pleasant ones because he had broken the rules there, just like he had done with the prisoner.  
Squall and Zell remembered how exciting their first real mission had been and Quistis remembered how they had rushed to the harbor, with the giant robot following them, and how she had destroyed it to save them.

They had rented two cars from Deling City for a few hours' trip to Dollet. It was already getting dark when they arrived.

"Let's go," Squall said and started to walk. "That place is pretty near."

He had to admit that the bandits had been clever. They hadn't even thought that the bandits might have their base in Dollet. But now everyone, expecially Raijin and Seifer, were worried because of Fujin. Had she betrayed them because of the bandits or had she just lost her mind? They couldn't decide which alternative was worse. If she was with the bandits, they might have to fight her or even kill her in the worst case...

"This is a beautiful city," Rinoa said, trying to awake conversation. "Reminds me of Balamb."

"Balamb is more attractive," Quistis replied. "Here the architecture isn't so great. It's alright but can't compete with Balamb."

"I don't know about architecture," Zell participated to the conversation, "but I know that I appreciate sea. And because both Balamb and Dollet are on the coast,  
they're both beautiful!"

"Shut up," Seifer said, sounding annoyed.

"Mr. Friendly," Rinoa commented.

"Sorry. But soon we may have to face Fujin. So god damn it, I have a reason to be angry!"

"Seifer!" Squall stopped walking. "Control your emotions. I know it's hard but you must try. Otherwise you might put us all in danger."

"I guess," Seifer sighed. "Look, isn't that the place?"

The building was just like their prisoner had described. There was a stairway, which led to the cellar, outside. They all checked their weapons before going in. Squall opened the door.

"We're from SEED! Please surrender and we won't harm you."

The cellar was lot bigger than they had expected. It was a big room which had been decorated with flags and posters. There were beds everywhere. And bandits who weren't very pleased.

"We're not afraid of anyone... you'll soon be dead, dudes."

The same person, who said that, attacked Squall with his daggers. Squall dodged and killed him quickly with his gunblade. Then everyone started to approach him, but they stopped for a while when he casted Fire. Squall moved away from the door so everyone could come inside. The room was big enough for the six SEEDs and seven bandits to fight.

Zell rushed towards one enemy and managed to knock this out with a Mach Kick. Now he had to get rid of another one attacking from his side so he couldn't evade one who was ready to stab him from behind. Luckily Quistis noticed this and used her whip to take him out. At the same time Raijin used his staff to stop two opponents from attacking. This allowed Squall and Seifer to kill the last two men remaining. They had won the battle!

"What the heck!"

Someone had come to the door. He was a man wearing a black leather vest which had the picture of a skull on the right hand pocket. He had a necklace which looked like an axe and the same symbol was tattooed on his right muscle. His trousers were light green and his shoes were black and heavy and just polished. He walked inside followed by Fujin.

"Fujin...!" Seifer felt something weird when he saw his old friend. It wasn't hatred nor disappointment but more like sadness.

"So you found us," Fujin said.

"Fujin... what happened in the train?" Raijin asked.

"I guess I owe you an explanation. I wasn't going to betray you. But then I found out that my brother worked for them. We accidentally met in Deling City and I told him that I'm in SEED nowadays. I have to mention that we hadn't met for ages. He," Fujin pointed at the strange man, "happened to hear about our meeting and imprisoned my brother. He told me to ruin every plan that SEED might have to catch them. Soon after that, Squall figured out to catch them with the train and I couldn't warn them, so I had to kill the driver and destroy the controls so they'd have even a slight chance to escape. I knew that I couldn't return to SEED anymore so I travelled to Dollet and told him to free my brother. And he did, but he wanted me to join them and gave me time to think it over. Of course, refusal meant death,  
expecially after he had confisticated all my weapons and spells."

No one had ever heard Fujin to talk that much but now they saw that she hadn't betrayed them. And they were relieved.

"You must choose now, Fujin," the mysterious man said. "Will you fight against them with me?"

"NO."

That was a typical answer from her. One word, loud and clear. The man watched her with his black eyes and then casted Tornado on her. The huge wind elemental spell threw her against the wall like a puppet. She lost her conciousness.

"BASTARD!"

Seifer attacked the man furiously before this could prepare for the fight. He had to escape the outraged man outside to get a little time to draw his own sword. Seifer rushed the stairs up really fast. His enemy tried to hit him with fireballs but Seifer dodged every one of them succesfully. His opponent had hard time to evade the Meteor spell which Seifer casted.

Soon their swords clashed when the man attacked, but he didn't have a chance to break through Seifer's defense. Seifer managed to push him away and cast Aero on him. He fell down and saw how Seifer used his Guardian Force. He transformed into Ifrit.

Now everyone who happened be near him knew to get into shelter. The huge, brown creature jumped far away to the sky with its unbelievably strong legs. A giant fireball, which appeared in front of him, was hit by amazing power. The strange man, leader of the bandits, tried to escape it desperately but knew that it was futile.  
Soon an explosion shook the street and the flames blinded everyone for a moment. Now there was only a flaming crater where the man had stood.

"Holy shit," Raijin said.

Irvine and Selphie arrived there.

"Guys!" Irvine shouted. "Headmaster Cid sent us here to support you when he heard that you were going to attack their base. But it seems that we aren't needed anymore..."

"Oh, Seifer," Selphie said. "What have you done!"

Seifer didn't say anything for a moment. He just stood there, motionless, looking at the destruction he had caused. Finally he turned around and asked:

"Is Fujin alright?"

"No," Squall said. "She's unconscious. I'm not sure if she's alive anymore..."

Seifer ran back inside. 


	9. Epilogue

Some time later, everyone was summoned to Headmaster Cid's room in Balamb Garden. They formed a line in front of him. Cid looked at them seriously. 

"I'm going to tell my honest opinion about everyone," he said and looked at Seifer. "Seifer, your actions were unbelievable. You tortured a man. You destroyed a street. You put many innocent civilians in danger by summoning a Guardian Force in a public place. I'm not sure if you're fit to be a SEED at all. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Raijin, Zell, Irvine and Selphie, I have nothing bad to say about you. Good job."

"Thank you, sir!" Zell and Raijin said at the same time. Irvine and Selphie decided to stay quiet because they had done practically nothing.

"Squall, you didn't have permission to take a train. Your plan worked fine, but remember to ask the team leader's permission next time. And Quistis, I appreciate that you told me everything that needed to be told."

Squall and Quistis just nodded.

"And Rinoa, you are not a SEED. I want you to remember that. But because you have helped us many times, I want to reward you. I can't make you a SEED member, but I could give you a job here."

"Really!"

"My secretary just resigned. If you want the job, I can give it to you."

"Yes, of course I want it. Thank you!"

"You are welcome. Everyone, the reason, why I put Seifer, Raijin and Fujin to your team, was that I wanted to see how you can work as a team. I think your teamwork was excellent. That's why I will let you, Seifer, go with a warning."

"Really! Thank you!"

"That's all. Dismissed."

* * *

A few hours later, Squall and Rinoa went to the infirmary. Fujin was there, lying on the bed, with Seifer and Raijin standing beside her. 

"How is she?" Rinoa asked.

"Still unconcious. Doctor Kadowaki said that it will take days till she wakes up. She got a bad hit in her head and she may experience some side effects," Seifer answered.

"We just have to wish that she heals."

* * *

Zell had eaten his last hot dog at Deling City railway station in the beginning of the mission. That's why he had gone to the cafeteria immediately. He was sitting on the table when Quistis arrived. 

"Hot dogs. Greasy and unhealthy," she said.

"Yup. Tastes great," Zell said and smiled.

"Hmm. Up for a game of Triple Triad?"

"Sure!"

They used their strongest cards when they played with Balamb rules. Still, the game was a draw.

"This game is so fun," Quistis said. "I think I'll start playing as a professional."

"Hey, me too! We could start our own group."

And life continued normally in Balamb Garden. Well, at least for some time.

* * *

The end of this story. I'm going to write a sequel for this. 

The author


End file.
